Bama Bloggers Abroad
Adjusting from Poland to the US
I've now been back in the United States for just over two weeks. It's definitely felt like a lot longer. The culture change has been an adjustment. In Poland, it's custom to say 'do widzenia'...
45 days In.
Today marks 45 days since I’ve arrived in Rome, Italy so without further ado let's get right into the process of getting here and getting settled into my new home. Traveling to Rome with my mom and...
How Travel Journaling has Improved my Study Abroad
I had never done a travel journal until this trip, but I am happy I started one. Traveling prior to now, I usually just try to take pictures as a means of remembering my travels. To a point that has...
The Magic of Paris
There I was standing in a crowd of hundreds of anxious people waiting for the clock to strike 11:00 p.m. Those same voices began to countdown from three to one. After the last voice echoed the...
Motorcycles in Thailand
In addition to cars, trucks, vans, and buses like we are used to here in the United States, motorcycles are very common on the road in Thailand. Motorcycles I have seen in Thailand include scooters,...
An Eventful Arrival: My Journey to Porto for the European Innovation Academy
Embarking on a journey to a foreign place is often filled with unexpected twists and turns. My adventure to Porto, Portugal, for the European Innovation Academy began with a delay and a minor...
A Day in Stratford-upon-Avon
It’s hard to believe I have been studying abroad for over two weeks! While I love Oxford, having the opportunity to take day trips outside of the city to places like London has been incredible. This...
Adjusting Back to Home
My trip was filled with so many new things, and coming home was definitely an adjustment. First, I caught myself saying "gracias" or "perdón" or "sí" when I was talking in English. Clearly the...
Mid-Trip Reflection: Cultural Context
The cultural context within Amsterdam could not be more different than my hometown of Moulton, Alabama. The main difference between the two is the rural nature of my home. Being in a city setting...
Homebound from Barcelona
Hey everyone!! This is Caitlin and I am wrapping up my study abroad here in Barcelona. The last six weeks here have been amazing and for our last morning here, my friend Sophie and I went to the...
Hola from Guatemala 🙂
Hey there, fellow travelers and curious minds! I'm thrilled to share my exciting study abroad experience in the enchanting city of Antigua, Guatemala. As a doctoral student at the University of...
Irish Goodbye
Ireland, I'm coming back for you The realization of coming back to the United States was a lot harder than expected and while it is said to be common for there to be more of a culture shock when...
Exploring Guatemala: Embracing Responsible Tourism and Being a Respectful Guest
Welcome back, fellow travelers! Today, I want to share an important aspect of my visit to Antigua, Guatemala – the commitment to responsible tourism and being a respectful guest. As we venture into...
Looking Back on Mannheim and Time in Germany!
After spending 5 months abroad in Germany, I am finally done with my travels and settled back home. My time abroad felt so short, and I already miss it and all the people I got to know. It honestly...
Two countries down, one to go!
The European Innovation Academy starts in two days and I could not be more excited. This has already been an amazing summer and I have gotten to do a lot of cool things and meet a lot of great...
final thoughts of being abroad
Processed with VSCO with av8 preset okay! so my final thoughts where do i begin. my last blog post was honestly coming out of such a place of hurt that i couldn’t fully enjoy where i was and the...
My Love Letter to London
London, you stole my heart. I went into this study abroad trip anxious about flying internationally by myself, being in a city I am not used to, and all the while trying to do well academically (as...
How I Prepared for my Venture Across Ireland
I recently traveled abroad on a faculty-led program to Ireland, where we began in Dublin and made a large circle to visit other cities, including Wexford, Killarney, Doolin, Inishmore, Galway, and...
Guatemala: Farewell to the land of the eternal spring
Welcome back, fellow adventurers! Today, I'm here to say farewell to the enchanting city of Antigua, Guatemala, where a sensory feast awaits at every turn. I dived into the colors, art, and...
An after-class breather
The hustle and bustle of London is place one can lose themselves. I definitely found myself entranced with the sounds and sights of the city. A big and fast paced city is one to lose your thoughts...
Summer in London 2023
Weekly Museum Visits This summer I had the opportunity to study for three weeks in London. I traveled with nine other students through an API program where we took classes at Richmond American...
From One City to the Next
The amazing thing about Europe is the endless routes and possibilities of travel. As someone who had only been out of the country once before, I wanted to take full advantage of Europe’s trains, and...
My Time in Florence
Despite our many weekend trips and different experiences, Florence continues to be my favorite place in Europe. From the food, to the culture, to the people, Florence never disappoints. In Florence...
Preparing for a Summer in London
The weeks leading up to going abroad, I could not WAIT! I was counting down the days until I could finally be in London, a place I have always dreamed of visiting. I was of course slightly nervous,...
Leaving Tours and Coming Home
My host family in Tours (two people are missing here—it was a large family) I've now been home for roughly two weeks or so, and I've decided that now is a good time to write my last post for Bama...
The Importance of Being Open to Other Perspectives Abroad
This may seem like common sense to some, but it is vital to the study abroad experience to be open to other people. Whether you are in a program with other students you already know, a program with...
Being Okay with Being Touristy
Being in London, there is so much history to learn about and places to see. At first, my friends and I felt a little ashamed to act like every other tourist: taking pictures of anything and...
Back to the States
Before leaving for Greece, I tried my best to lower my expectations. I knew the country would be beautiful, the course would be immersive, and that the trip was carefully planned, but I still had my...
Stray Dogs of Thailand
Stray dogs are ubiquitous throughout Thailand. It should be noted that in Thailand, most cats and dogs are not neutered or spayed. As such, feral and wild cats and dogs are far, far more commonplace...
UA in Colombia: Time Flies When You’re Having Fun
Wow! It has been a really fun few weeks in the UA in Colombia program. We are on the final two weeks of our program right now, and I think now is the perfect time to reflect on the amazing memories...
Madrid- First Impressions
Hola! I’ve been living in Madrid for almost three weeks now, and it’s taken a bit to get adjusted to a different way of living. After a week of 3-hour long siestas (just adjusting), I’ve started to...
An Unforgettable Trip
My journey with UA Abroad to the beautiful country of Colombia was nothing short of amazing. The coastal city of Barranquilla was rich with culture and many interesting places to explore. Our...
Seville, Spain
Now that my time has Spain comes to a close, I wanted to reflect on my semester abroad in Sevilla. I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to call this place home over the last several...
Pre-Departure Blog Post
As I get closer and closer to my departure, I find myself more and more nervous. Generously, I would say I got about 4 hours. Non-consecutively, of course. I tend to be an anxious person anyway, but...
While Abroad in Barcelona
Hey everyone! It's Caitlin back with an update after one month in Spain! Here are some highlights from my time abroad I hope you find helpful:First Impressions: welcome to city life! - constant...
Loving France!
My First impression when I arrived in Paris, France, was that it was the biggest city I think I have ever seen. Coming from southern Alabama, this was pretty intimidating at first, but these...
First Time Abroad
Tomorrow I embark on my study abroad in the UK! It is my first time ever flying out of the country (and my first time flying on an airline that is not spirit airlines... and my first time flying for...
Headed to Amsterdam!!
I’m writing this post as I am traveling to the airport to leave for my Education Abroad experience. I have been feeling so many different emotions throughout the process of preparing for this trip...
Trip to Cartagena!!!
Voy a hablar sobre mi viaje a Cartagena! That means I am about to talk about our trip to Cartagena, Colombia. Cartagena was our second trip as a group, and it took about 2 hours from Baranquilla,...
One Year Ago…
I can pinpoint the first time I heard about UA in Oxford: English, History, and Honors. Surrounded by red carpet and fellow high school seniors, I was listening to a presentation by...
Returning home
I've been home for a week and it is not what I was expecting. It feels weird to be home and I definitely miss Australia and the friends I made while abroad. The reverse culture shock was expected,...
Cambodia Favorites!
The next stop in our trip after Vietnam was to the beautiful country of Cambodia. In my last post, I discussed some of the things I loved most about Vietnam, and I will do the same here for...
Celebrating My Birthday in a Third World Country!
Traveling to Guatemala Week one in Guatemala was filled with so much from class to adventure, and even to my birthday. We arrived in Guatemala City on a Friday afternoon and from there we had to...
How to Cross the Street in Hanoi
As an experienced traveler, and more specifically, an experienced traveler who has been to Southeast Asia before, I stepped off the plane in Hanoi, Vietnam feeling confident that I was going to have...
Going to see the Temples
I have never experienced a level of heat in my life like the first day of seeing temples in Cambodia. A wake-up call of 3:30 AM was the start of our day visiting different ancient temples in the...
Gazing from Atop of the Mountian!
During my time in South Africa and now since returning home and getting readjusted to the American society, I realize one of the biggest beuaties that I took for granted was right in front of me the...
What I Learned
Now that my time abroad has come to an end, I have most certainly learned a few things. There are several concepts I wish I would have known before coming to Italy. First, I wish I would have done...
Discovering Italian Culture in Florence
Upon arriving to Italy, I was immediately in awe of the culture there. As I rode in a taxi to head over to my host mom's house, I was captivated by the architecture and scenery that I drove past....
Balancing Study Abroad and New Experiences
One of the most important parts about this study abroad program is being able to stay on track with schoolwork, while also making sure have as much fun as you can. This was my first time outside the...
Travelling Beyond the UA Program
While this program planned for us to only travel between the Venice and Trento areas, I was able to venture to many other areas of Italy with relative ease. Make sure to talk to your faculty mentor...